I can suggest one good one in LA: Philippe the Original and Cole's both claim to have invented the French Dip sandwich; the two places are roughly a mile apart, so it would be a simple matter to hit them both for the same (extended) meal, but then you'd either over-eat or have to forego some truly good sides. I am not familiar with Cole's, but the potato salad at Philippe is excellent, and their mustard (which they also sell) will clear up any sinus problems for the next year or two.

I say the small Texas town of Lockhart, Texas where you can sample four of the best BBQ restaurants on the planet. They are Smitty's, Kreuz, Black's, and Chisolm Trail. You can also hit City Market in Luling which may be the best of all, plus you are an hour away from the San Antonio Riverwalk and great Tex-Mex, another potential rivalry between restaurants. By the way, I went to Bryant's in KC this summer, and was not impressed at all. I can't get over the electric slicer, and yes, I had the burnt ends also. They tasted like they had been sitting in the sauce too long, not a fresh taste.

Plus one on the TX BBQ rivalry. Also, it's usually fairly warm in that part of TX. We did a BBQ trail trip, trying the brisket and sausage at City Market, Smitty's, and Kruez. We can't wait to go back and try the others....

"Nothing in So Cal yet" - when I said LA, I meant Los Angeles, not Louisiana! Sorry, I keep forgetting that LA means that Gulf state to a lot of folks who don't live here...

We have a lot of places doing similar things here, but Philippe and Cole's is the only actual rivalry that comes to mind. Except of course for the continent-wide rivalry of Katz's (NY) and Langer's (LA) when it comes to pastrami, though that's a little harder to resolve quickly...

I don't know if this is a true rivalry, but in Bakersfield CA, there are several Basque places that people constantly argue over which is best. Noriega's and Woolgrowers are two that are both good, but there are others, too. As with most Basque places, bring an appetite, and knock yourselves out...there's not much else to do in Bakersfield!